Author Topic: Best stand alone primer seater? (Read 1062 times)

The Shrink · « **on:** September 12, 2003, 01:42:05 AM »

Gentlemen

I am on a search for the best stand alone primer seater. I have an old lee seater that has served me well for over 20 years. I'm now loading 44-40 for a 1873 Colt clone (Uberti) and have too many high primers. Too much effort for that little thumb lever, or my thumb isn't as strong as I think it is.

Does the new Lee have better linkage than the old? Are the RCBS primer strips worth it (I buy primers by the case)? It appears to me that this approach is just adding another step to the process, loading the strips. Is there another option out there that I don't know about?

Oh yeah, money is an issue!

Sixgun · « **Reply #1 on:** September 12, 2003, 03:52:33 AM »

Shrink,

I know what you are going through with the old Lee primer seaters. The one you have is probably the plastic one that the handle bends when you seat the primer. I have some of those and only use them when I have one or two bullets to load.

I got one of the new Lee Priming tools a few years ago and have only good things to say about it. I get a good positive seat every time.

My hunting buddy tried the RCBS tool cause it used the same holders as you use in the press. It was nothing but trouble and he never could get it to work. However I will have to say in defence of RCBS that my buddy isn't known for his mechanical apitude.

I will say that you can't go wrong with the Lee.

Sixgun

Graycg · « **Reply #2 on:** September 12, 2003, 06:33:04 AM »

I had a similar problem with mine, but looked at the little lollypop looking linkage part and saw that it was worn out...that is the part that sets how deep your primers can go. Check it out, if it is indeed worn you can get a new one from lee for the cost of shipping. replaced mine and my 20+ year old machine is as good as new again.

v.r.
Graycg

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** September 12, 2003, 08:01:06 AM »

I've used nothing but the Lee Autoprime for the last 1/4 million or so primers I've seated. Have worn out a couple but at the cost of them it is cheap enough to replace and hey Lee might even do it for free if ya asked. I didn't just bought a new one when mine broke. Figured it had served me well.

GB

bigdaddytacp · « **Reply #4 on:** September 12, 2003, 10:49:27 AM »

Quote from: The Shrink

Gentlemen

I am on a search for the best stand alone primer seater. I have an old lee seater that has served me well for over 20 years. I'm now loading 44-40 for a 1873 Colt clone (Uberti) and have too many high primers. Too much effort for that little thumb lever, or my thumb isn't as strong as I think it is.

Does the new Lee have better linkage than the old? Are the RCBS primer strips worth it (I buy primers by the case)? It appears to me that this approach is just adding another step to the process, loading the strips. Is there another option out there that I don't know about?

Oh yeah, money is an issue!

........I have a couple of the STANDARD RCBS primer tools handheld that doesn't use the strips.......they are easier to use than my Lee and seem to have more leverage........I'm like you on the strip version.....but it seems the preloaded strips might be easy and if the price got right and all the non-CCI brand primers were in strips then the strip loader might go over .....the new RCBS with the safety block to sheild the primer pan from the seating primer is a good idea and works well for me in several thousand seatings....I keep one for small primers and one for large to avoid having to swap...HTH...good luck and good shooting!!

Double D · « **Reply #5 on:** September 12, 2003, 10:50:03 AM »

I have had the Lee Hand priming tool. Brilliant design, crappy execution. Mine blew up on me. The soft plastic throat eroded and tipped a primer. When I squeezed the handle the tipped primer crushed and fired. Set off other primers in the try.

No problem, Lee replaced it free of charge. I realy liked that tool, until then it was the best primer seating tool I had used. But I wouldn't use it. A couple of years later at the NRA Convention or the SHOT show I went by Lee's booth and asked if they had solved that problem. Richard Lee looked me straight in the eye and said, never heard of it before. There had been widespread reporting of the problem at the time. Late 70's early 80's.

So I replaced it with an RCBS AutoPrime. Best tool I have used since the Lee. Very sensitive seating primers easy to use. Not cheap.

This past year due a job transfer I had the opportunity to use RCBS's hand priming tool. It had the feel of the Lee tool, but is just to awkward to assemble. You have to take it apart just to get the shell holder out. I wouldn't waste my money on it. This one belonged to my son. He is getting an RCBS autoprime for Christmas

Greybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** September 12, 2003, 11:50:56 AM »

I've stuck primers into cases just about every way you can using the Lee tool from 180 degrees out to any given fraction of 180 degrees. Mangled the dickens out of them. Probably over 100 of them over the years I've been using one. Would guess I've loaded well over 1/4 million primers in these tools. I've never had a primer fire on me except when I dropped the firing pin. Dunno if I'm just lucky or if folks like DD are just unlucky. BUT generally speaking my motto is "if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all." :-D

GB

BruceP · « **Reply #7 on:** September 12, 2003, 04:12:32 PM »

I like the Lee Auto Prime myself. My brother got the RCBS but after using it I liked the Lee better. I liked it well enough that I bought a second one and have one set up for small primers and one for large.
I guess I am lucky too. Just night before last while priming so 270 Win. cases I had a primer flip sideways. (not the first time its happened) I felt it and stopped before I mashed it all the way even with the case head but it was still flat on the side. I just removed the shellholder case and all, shot some WD 40 into the primer to "kill" it and flipped it out with a screwdriver. Then I degreased the case and shellholder dried them and finished my loading.

Double D · « **Reply #8 on:** September 13, 2003, 02:29:53 AM »

I have mashed primers ever which way it can be done. Using the useless swing arm press attached seater, the hammer hit old Lee Hand tool, even the RCBS bench mounted Auto prime that I use now. Why I even crushed some with the Lee hand hand held but never had blow until that day. I have heard of primers blowing before especially in the old press mounted swing arms and there was several reports of the Lee tool blowing in the gunpress before Lee became a big advertiser.

My ears rang for a couple of days after that incident, but it was weeks before my hand stopped stinging.

Probably the thing that set me the hardest againt Lee was him looking me striaght in the eye and saying he had "never heard of that before"

Combine that and the fact the Lee had the highest rate of return of any product other that Ziess optics when I had my shop open, I just don't like Lee proucts.

I have had one other primer blow up. I was sitting in front of the TV priming cases with that Lee tool and spilled some primers onto/into the shag carpet. Had to get them cleaned up before the wife came home. (Advice from 37 years of marriage: If you make a mess always clean it up. You won't do it right, but do it any way) I used the vacumn cleaner. Some of those primers cracked as they got sucked in.

A couple of days later when Icame home from work the wife jumped all over me. She was vacuming an found some primers I had missed. She was not amused. You might call the effect a Secondary Explosion.

EDG · « **Reply #9 on:** September 14, 2003, 12:15:59 PM »

I like the original Lee priming tool. I have been using them since before there was a choice - about 35 years. I have 5 of them in various states of wear. Never put a primer in wrong with one. I guess you could put one in upside down if you didn't watch what you are doing. You probably should not reload if you don't watch what you are doing. The first one eventually wore the "connecting rod" down a little. I filed the top of the tool down to permit the shell holder to be screwed in further. This allows me to seat the primers to the bottom of the primer pocket and it is still going.
I have tried the current Lee tool with the primer feed but it will flip primers if you are not careful. I don't care for it much but I do use it on large lots.
I have also used the Lee priming tool that is screwed in to a loading press. The version I have is not magazine fed but works well for some odd ball head sizes when I do not have a shell holder.

Ed

nase02 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 03, 2003, 12:22:19 PM »

Both me and my brotherinlaw have the RCBS bench primers and love them. YOU CAN REALLY FEEL THE PRIMER BEING SEATED.

BCB · « **Reply #11 on:** October 03, 2003, 12:58:45 PM »

The Shrink,

I have used the Lee Autoprime for nearly 20 years. I have one set up for small primers and one for large primers. I purchased the entire set of shell holders for them so there ain't much I can't prime! I do keep a few spare parts for them also. I haven't had any breakage in probably 7-8 years. Maybe the replacement parts were better than the original?

I also have seated primers up-side-down and sideways using this priming tool! Never had one go "bang" yet! Maybe I'm just lucky also! For the $$$$$, you really can't go wrong. Good-luck...BCB